There are previously known production methods of 1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene, one of which involves a dehydrofluorination reaction of 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluropropane with potassium hydroxide in dibutyl ether (Non-Patent Document 1); another of which involves a fluorination reaction of 1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene with hydrogen fluoride in the presence of a Ti/C or Cr/C catalyst (Patent Document 1); and still another of which involves a dehydrofluorination reaction of 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluropropane in a gas phase by contact with a carbon or a metal-supported carbon in an elevated-temperature reaction range (Patent Document 2).
In each of these methods, however, the 1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene is obtained as a mixture of cis and trans isomers. This raises an inconvenience in the case of using either the cis or trans isomer of the 1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene.
Then, it has been tested to convert 1,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene, which is one kind of trifluoromethyl propene, from trans-1,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene to cis-1,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene (Non Patent Documents 2 and 3). More specifically, Non-Patent Document 2 reports a technique of isomerization of 1,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene by contact with antimony pentafluoride under pressurized conditions. Non-Patent Document 3 reports a technique of isomerization of 1,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene by heating at 350 to 550° C. or by ultraviolet radiation.
There is further a production method of trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene by isomerization, which was laid open after the filing date of the earlier basic application of the present application (Patent Document 3). This method utilizes a fluorinated Cr2O3 catalyst as a fluorinated oxide catalyst and shows a conversion rate of 91.0% at a reaction temperature of 100° C. but a conversion rate of merely 5.8% at a reaction temperature of 30° C.    Non-Patent Document 1: Izvest. Akad. Nauk S. S. S. R., Otdel. Khim. Nauk., P.1412, 1960    Non Patent Document 2: J. Fluorine Chem., Vol. 44, 167, 1989    Non Patent Document 3: Ann. Chim. (Italy), Vol. 55, P. 850, 1965    Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-7605    Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-140002    Patent Document 3: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-110979